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    The Great Upheaval: America and the Birth of the Modern World, 1788-1800
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    The Great Upheaval: America and the Birth of the Modern World, 1788-1800
    Unavailable
    The Great Upheaval: America and the Birth of the Modern World, 1788-1800
    Ebook1,013 pages23 hours

    The Great Upheaval: America and the Birth of the Modern World, 1788-1800

    By Jay Winik

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    It is an era that redefined history. As the 1790s began, a fragile America teetered on the brink of oblivion, Russia towered as a vast imperial power, and France plunged into revolution. But in contrast to the way conventional histories tell it, none of these remarkable events occurred in isolation.

    Now, for the first time, acclaimed historian Jay Winik masterfully illuminates how their fates combined in one extraordinary moment to change the course of civilization. A sweeping, magisterial drama featuring the richest cast of characters ever to walk upon the world stage, including Washington, Jefferson, Louis XVI, Robespierre, and Catherine the Great, The Great Upheaval is a gripping, epic portrait of this tumultuous decade that will forever transform the way we see America's beginnings and our world

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 13, 2009
    ISBN9780061826719
    Author

    Jay Winik

    The author of the #1 and New York Times bestselling April 1865 and the New York Times bestsellers 1944 and The Great Upheaval, Jay Winik is renowned for his creative approaches to history. The Baltimore Sun called him “one of our nation’s leading public historians.” He is a popular public speaker and a frequent television and radio guest. He has been a regular contributor to The Wall Street Journal book review section, as well as to The New York Times. His many national media appearances include the Today show, Good Morning America, World News Tonight, NPR, and FOX News. He is a former board member of the National Endowment for the Humanities and was the historical advisor to National Geographic Networks.

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    Reviews for The Great Upheaval

    4/5

    9 ratings6 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Reads really quickly, more like a novel than history, and intricately links political and philosophical thinking across America, France, and Russia to make the point that society was global even back then, though communications were slower. Drives home the connections between American and European unrest during this period and the shaping of these nations.
    • 4/5
      History that reads as a novel. Taking three focal points, American Revolution, French Revolution and the Russian failed attempt into liberalization, the book weaves together the story lines. The book has a very high BPP, bodies per page, one of highest I've read in awhile.
    • 4/5
      In "The Great Upheaval," Winik's thesis is that the political events in Russia, France, and America during the time period of 1788-1800 were not isolated incidents. Rather, the political world at this time was more global than once thought, resulting in individuals playing key roles in events on both continents. For example, Winik describes Jefferson's role in both the shaping of America, as well as his support of the initial stages of the French Revolution. Other impotant historical figures discussed include Catherine, Adams, Washington, Kosciuszko, Louis XVI, Lafayette, and many others. Although Winik painstakingly recounts the events and actions of these three countries during these 12 years, at times they seem removed from one another. He writes one chapter at a time about each country, with each chapter being approximately 5 years. Thus each chapter furthers the country's storyline independent from the other countries. This method forces the reader to interconnect the storylines of the three countries on your own. It is not until the last chapter (and Epilogue) that the events in each country are directly connected within the chapter. I did appreciate how Winik showed that the same negative revolutionary ideas that commanded the French Revolution were also at times evident in America and Russia as well. The only reason that America and Russia did not share the same fateful fate as the French was a result of leadership. Overall, I thought it was a fascinating read, especially if you are interested in the background behind the great events of the late 18th century. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like a new perspective on this time period as well.
    • 4/5
      Winik ties together the events in early US history, the French Revolution and the initially liberal but eventually reactionary government of Catherine the Great. He does a good job of showing how interrelated all of these events were and that the world at that time was more "global" than you might think. A little bit of US cheer leading(certainly a bigger fan of Hamilton than I am), but when you consider the outcomes of the 3 systems it is hard to argue that it isn't mostly deserved.
    • 4/5
      Winik gives adjectives a real workout in this entertaining but hyperbolic account of the events roiling the end of the 18th Century, focused mostly on the French Revolution but also on the American Revolution and the empire building of the Russians. In long strings of clauses laden with excess verbiage, Winik recounts the “unmitigated horror” the “momentous decisions” the “quickening pulse” the “dreaded specter” the “clarion call” -– you get the idea. His clauses sometimes sound like personals ads: “incorrigibly flawed yet ironically suited,” “inspired yet quixotic,” “uncommonly brave yet psychologically frail.” Triteness is not a barrier to Winik – he has no qualms about describing “golden shores," "quickening pulses," or "words dripping with emotion”; nor about exclaiming that “behind this legend was a man” ("of fabled status"), or “it was a fateful day” (or "it was not to be"). Alliteration also has great appeal in his tour of the adjectives: “audaciously assumed”, “terrible toll,” “defiantly demanded,” “frenzied fighting.” But where he waxes most florid in his verbal outpourings is in the tales of war: “ghastly massacre,” “blood flowed like rivers,” “bestial fighting,” “crushing defeat,” “murderous enemy,” “brutally decapitated” (is there a non-brutal decapitation?). When I wasn’t rolling my eyes, for the most part I was enjoying the stories. A blow-by-blow account of the lead-up to the guillotining of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette may not be among the most important aspects of the French Revolution, but it sure makes for good drama. Likewise his account of Catherine the Great’s suppression of a peasant revolt. So I would, in fact, recommend it, although that seems incredulous, incorrigible, and inexplicable. Implacable though it may be, yet, it is inexorable.
    • 4/5
      Reads really quickly, more like a novel than history, and intricately links political and philosophical thinking across America, France, and Russia to make the point that society was global even back then, though communications were slower. Drives home the connections between American and European unrest during this period and the shaping of these nations.